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honeybeardocare's review
3.0
Hard to gather my thoughts on this one. Read it in one go on the beach but definitely wouldn't call it a beach read. Some small moments stick with me as dreamy and profound but the whole has slipped away quickly
mrwesdunn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
nadinekc's review
3.0
An imaginative fever dream that didn't need the literary framing device of a 'found audio' recording. In fact, this frame story felt unnecessary and artificial to me - the narrator and his tale were more than enough.
mattdube's review
3.0
This is one of those books that contains a document that fell into the hands of the author, who can vouch for its authenticity but who understands your skepticism, etc. This time, what we have are transcripts of three cassette tapes, containing a long conversation with an unnamed adventure journalist who has a story to tell about three weird encounters he had that shook him to his foundation. The frame of the story concerns an audio specialist, brought in to provide context for the tapes, and who occasionally inserts herself in the narrative to address questions about audio imperfections, etc. It's a good enough idea, and I was ready to go along for the ride, but it didn't deliver enough for me-- definitely not enough weirdness with the sound elements, and the weird encounters with the "odd" that the journalist recounts weren't odd enough. Given the sparseness of the odd, then, it's hard to accept the apparatus of the vast global conspiracy that doesn't want us to know this story.
Mostly it's fine, but it under-delivers on its slightly-unusual premise and its main course.
Mostly it's fine, but it under-delivers on its slightly-unusual premise and its main course.
reanbug's review
4.0
Reminds me a lot of VanderMeer’s writing. The suggestion of something more, letting you use your own imagination to fill the gaps. Very interesting story!!
kinda_like_shaft's review
3.0
This book reminded me in tone of the Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips, which I really enjoyed. But the introduction and afterward (concerning a professor and publishing house who sought to intellectualize/publicize the transcripts) to the found audio (which was interesting as a story) didn't really tie the novel together for me. The disappearance of everyone who read, studied, reported on, or explored the tapes just didn't seem justified by the dreamscape transcription of the audio itself. Still fun to read.
victoriamarie36's review
4.0
It’s magical realism written by Jon Krakauer and Virgina Woolf’s love child. Naturally, I was sucked in from the start. I’m giving it four stars only because the beginning was so good that the rest of the book is a bit weak in comparison. Although I enjoyed it, it didn’t quite deliver what the beginning had promised. Would absolutely recommend to anyone though as it is a quick, dreamy little read you can start and finish over a weekend.
stephanieanneauthor's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I enjoyed the style of this story more than the story itself. The format of found cassette tapes transcribed and annotated, flanked by letters and explanations added a layer to the experience of reading. My favourite parts were the footnotes indicating background noises, audio distortions, etc. Unfortunately, I felt that the story itself paled in comparison to the experience of reading these stylistic elements.
nooneyouknow's review
4.0
A slippery, dreamy paradox. It somehow feels not quite substantial enough, but I was totally in the mood for this type of strange storytelling, so I’m going with 4 stars on this one.